COMMENT OF THE DAY: I HAVE CRACKED THE RECYCLING BIN CODE “My green bin was getting overly full, so I went to Sears and bought a similar blue bin. They empty it just like the official one, without concern or question, every other week.” [anon, commenting on Actually, Say Critics, ‘One Bin for All’ Maybe Not Best Idea]
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Recycling with the one large green bin–the one in which glass is also collected–is really easy. Just about everybody in my neighborhood has them and uses them. Recycling is all about convenience, but would it be cheaper and just as effective to expand that service across the city? I spent several years taking my glass to a collection center, but it’s not really a feasible thing for entire neighborhoods. I’m trying to imagine what a typical day at the Center Street collection center would be like if every single Heights and Washington Ave-area resident took their glass there regularly. I don’t think it would work very well.
It’s true, the One Bin for All idea is more to get people who refuse to recycle to unwittingly recycle than it is to make life simpler for those that already do. It’s not all let-the-world-burn types doing it, some people just don’t have/make the time or even see recycling as a priority. Does anyone remember the NYTimes article from 2008 entitled “Houston Resists Recycling”?
It’s a good idea for the city because it cuts back on landfill waste and has the potential to raise revenue. But for your average wheeled green bin user it won’t be much of a change at all.
I also used my own Lowe’s bins to supplement the COH bins til the crews broke them apart chucking them onto the sidewalk. I called 311 and they brought me a few more “official” bins. I cart 6 of them to the street every other week. I’d welcome the one-for-all.